Working as a packer

I know I'm a stupid american and I don't know anything about our laws and immigration because I'm to busy watching that Mtv and playing with hula hoops. I guess I could move to Canada and eat maple syrup and play hockey, Eh? We could go out and about in a boat, Eh.(read with bad canadian accent)

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I know I'm a stupid american and I don't know anything about our laws and immigration because I'm to busy watching that Mtv and playing with hula hoops. I guess I could move to Canada and eat maple syrup and play hockey, Eh? We could go out and about in a boat, Eh.(read with bad canadian accent)

What does your last post have to do with this topic?

The OP is free to enter as a visitor to the USA (assuming US customs and immigration lets him in) and he is free to try his luck working illegally at your DZ as a packer. He may just get away with it. I have a relative who works illegally under the table in the USA every summer as a waiter (of course my relative never listens to us when we tell him sooner or later Canada and the USA are going to wonder how he makes his living when he reports no income in either country). Anyway I'm just saying that if the OP gets caught he stands a chance of being permanently banned from the USA.

My point in all of this is to make sure the OP understands what he is getting into if he does decide to try his luck working at a US DZ, and to make sure he is not being given poor advice by others. Then again all he needs to do disguise myself as a Mexican, speak spanish and be willing to work for slave wages and the US immigration will turn a blind eye to his presence in your country.

He won't work at my dz illegally, I pmed him and told him if he gets all his paper work done, than to contact me.

But I also told the Op to think about the boogie tour. I know a good amount of illegal packers doing that.

Oh by the way j/k about the canada thing. You guy's have some good nug.

sorry for bumping but i figure its probably a regular question on here so didnt want to ask it in a new thread.

myself and a friend have very recently started jumping(we are still on static lines) but we will have our A licence by summer if all the plans/trips work out as planned and we should have our packers cert early in the new year

we are also planning on going to america for 3 months(on a j1 student visa we can live and work in the states for up to 4 months) and we have no illusions about how easy/hard the job is but what we really want to know is what are the chances of being able to find work as in ireland its very much you become a packer(in one of the tw dropzones in the country ) on a very much "who you know" basis.

any help greatly appreciated its early days planning for this trip so im sure ill have alot more questions soon enough

I am 20 and have about 150 jumps and have been contemplating a career in skydiving. I would love to see how some of the commentors feel now about there decisions. Currently, I am going to school for piloting airplanes but there is still that yearn to be a skygod instead.

10 hours ago, Sam Bankman Sauteed said:

Currently, I am going to school for piloting airplanes but there is still that yearn to be a skygod instead.

Not instead; do both. Piloting will make you more money than being a skygod. 

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I am 20 and have about 150 jumps and have been contemplating a career in skydiving. I would love to see how some of the commentors feel now about there decisions.

Find a decent job outside of skydiving, and use the income to get real skills in flying in your discipline of choice, so you can get a cool / fun job in skydiving.

Though there are a lot of nice entry level options (packer etc) they tend to not really generate a lot of budget for skydiving, unless you work so much you don't have time/energy for skydiving. Also having real world skills will mean that you have actual fallback options in case skydiving for some reason is no longer your main source of income or passion at later age.

I work fulltime in skydiving, but still do some work in my real profession (3D animation) on the side, as that is what allows me to not have to work 30 days a month, but also take time off for own skydiving/basejumping adventures with an actual budget to spend.

Working in skydiving is incredible, but its the coaching at a higher skill level where the real fun is to be had.

7 hours ago, BIGUN said:

Not instead; do both. Piloting will make you more money than being a skygod. 

That's some good advice. Being a good packer can be a lucrative gig as you are working through your certificates. In fact, it is probably the best going to school side job ever. Just be good and a good team player. Packing floors need to have all players working together and supporting each other. Get trained, get good, and I'll look at you for a slot.

On 12/17/2022 at 8:32 PM, Sam Bankman Sauteed said:

I am 20 and have about 150 jumps and have been contemplating a career in skydiving. I would love to see how some of the commentors feel now about there decisions. Currently, I am going to school for piloting airplanes but there is still that yearn to be a skygod instead.

Don't do it. 

Get a real job and skydive for fun. You'll jump less and enjoy it a lot more.